What's worse than paying a couple times MSRP for Sharks?

[BobbyRitz]

Getting them and finding this:

I've contacted the vendor and, before I could ask, he offered to send 6 more today. I asked him to take a moment to inspect them.

 

[tigger]

:0

That's a shame...

Glad they're replacing them though.

 

[Ginseng]

Yikes,

Sorry to see that, Bobby. Is the vendor letting you keep those?

How do they smell?

I don't mind a little mold on the wrapper but when it penetrates the foot the situation can be pretty bad as far as smell, smokeability, etc.

Wilkey

 

[BobbyRitz]

Wilkey,

I absolutely agree. In fact, I wiped the mold off of the first Shark thinking "No big deal."

But upon further inspection, I saw how the foot was badly infected.

Then I had to break out the 10 WOAM's and 9 other Sharks that I had purchased from this vendor.

All WOAM's were fine and a total of 6 of 10 Sharks were infected not only on the wrapper, but the foot as well.

He is sending a pre-paid postage envelope, so he expects that I will send them back.

I could always forget... :whistling:

But in reality, I wouldn't want to keep these smokes.

Rob

EDIT: They don't smell markedly different from the others. But I will admit to having a relatively untrained nose.

 

[Krautle87]

If he's sendin' more smokes as compensation, that seems fair...try scraping the mold off the foot to see how far it penetrated down.

 

[jabba]

I've smoked a few cigars like that, actually smoked fine after whipping the mold off.

 

[BlindedByScience]

Here's one for you, Dr. Wilkey - do cigars mold from the outside in, or the inside out? Bread, for example, will taste moldy long before any mold can be see on the surface of the bread.

I've smoked moldy cigars after wiping the mold off....eech. I had some of the little Padron Corticos that didn't look moldy at all, but reeked of mold and smoked really nasty (replaced by a great vendor, BTW....).

I guess I've always been afraid that by the time you can see mold, "wiping it off" is more or less a moot point as the cigar is pretty well permeated by that point.

Opinions....??

Regards - B.B.S.

 

[Ginseng]

Here's one for you, Dr. Wilkey - do cigars mold from the outside in, or the inside out? Bread, for example, will taste moldy long before any mold can be see on the surface of the bread.

I've smoked moldy cigars after wiping the mold off....eech. I had some of the little Padron Corticos that didn't look moldy at all, but reeked of mold and smoked really nasty (replaced by a great vendor, BTW....).

I guess I've always been afraid that by the time you can see mold, "wiping it off" is more or less a moot point as the cigar is pretty well permeated by that point.

Opinions....??

Regards - B.B.S.

Tom,

Based on what I've read as well as on communications with those in the industry, there isn't a leaf that does not have mold spores on it of one kind or another. While fumigation or pesticidal treatment is carried out at various stages, there are simply so many points of contact with non-sterile items that the existence of nascent mold should be considered a given. For example, the gum tragacanth or vegetable gums used to seal the cap and apply the bands are quite good carriers for mold and decent nutrient media as well.

So, keeping this in mind, mold will grow once its desired incubation conditions are reached whether it is on the inside or the outside of the cigar. In my experience, the fluffy white mold that appears on wrapper only is the most benign of molds you typically encounter. You dust it off and the cigar will smoke fine with no indication of any ill effects from the mold. In fact, I have a box of ERdM Cafe Au Lait where every time I go to smoke one, I have to dust the mold off my stick. I've been doing that for months and they are all still perfectly fine.

The unseen or dark mold is far, far worse. These varieties can render an otherwise cosmetically perfect specimen rank and utterly unsmokeable. You'll know if you have this variety as your cigar and box will smell like manure mixed with urine, fermenting bark mulch, or a week old overflowing cat box. My most recent experiences with this beast are boxes of Boli CJ and Sancho Panza CG. Also, the Tabac de Cordillera cigars were apparently afflicted with mold from the cap glue.

Does that help?

Wilkey

 

[BlindedByScience]

....Does that help?

Wilkey

Wilkey - yes, it does. I have yet to have a cigar with the "benign" mold you mention. In my experience, in every case, if I could see the mold, the cigar wasn't fit to smoke. In a few cases, I could smell mold with no visible evidence.

In my admittedly limited experience, I have yet to have a smoke that the mold "brushed off" and was then fit to smoke; quite the opposite, actually.

Thanks - B.B.S.

 

[Ginseng]

....Does that help?

Wilkey

Wilkey - yes, it does. I have yet to have a cigar with the "benign" mold you mention. In my experience, in every case, if I could see the mold, the cigar wasn't fit to smoke. In a few cases, I could smell mold with no visible evidence.

In my admittedly limited experience, I have yet to have a smoke that the mold "brushed off" and was then fit to smoke; quite the opposite, actually.

Thanks - B.B.S.

I'll send you a few of my Cafe Au Laits, strictly for experimental purposes of course.

Wilkey

 

[Castaway]

"The unseen or dark mold is far, far worse. These varieties can render an otherwise cosmetically perfect specimen rank and utterly unsmokeable. You'll know if you have this variety as your cigar and box will smell like manure..." quote Wilkey.

Thanks for the lesson. :thumbs:

In my experience with ISOMs (less than 50, from different sources) most of them seemed to smell sorta like a barnyard, kinda like manure, anyway.

 

[Ginseng]

"The unseen or dark mold is far, far worse. These varieties can render an otherwise cosmetically perfect specimen rank and utterly unsmokeable. You'll know if you have this variety as your cigar and box will smell like manure..." quote Wilkey.

Thanks for the lesson. :thumbs:

In my experience with ISOMs (less than 50, from different sources) most of them seemed to smell sorta like a barnyard, kinda like manure, anyway.

I know what you mean. I really love that rich, humus-like, fertile smell that Habanos have. This stink is another thing entirely. The former is like the smells we imagine when we romanticize about ranch life. The latter is like the way a farm actually smells.

Wilkey

 

[Castaway]

:thumbs:

I feel smarter!

 

[FlyFish]

What's even worse is when you finally get non-moldy ones, pay twice MSRP and smoke them only to find that they really aren't all that great.


Hope I don't spoil anything for you. If you HAVE to buy anejos stick to the 55's IMO.

 

[BobbyRitz]

What's even worse is when you finally get non-moldy ones, pay twice MSRP and smoke them only to find that they really aren't all that great.


Hope I don't spoil anything for you. If you HAVE to buy anejos stick to the 55's IMO.

This is the second thread in which you have decided to comment on the price that someone has paid for smokes.

Thank you for your position on buying cigars, it is duly noted. Please continue to smoke your $4 sticks and we'll continue to do whatever the hell we want with OUR money.

 

[bfreebern]

What's even worse is when you finally get non-moldy ones, pay twice MSRP and smoke them only to find that they really aren't all that great.


Hope I don't spoil anything for you. If you HAVE to buy anejos stick to the 55's IMO.

This is the second thread in which you have decided to comment on the price that someone has paid for smokes.

Thank you for your position on buying cigars, it is duly noted. Please continue to smoke your $4 sticks and we'll continue to do whatever the hell we want with OUR money.

He never commented on what you paid. Sheesh, chill out.

 

[FlyFish]

Lighten up Francis.


You asked what's worse, and you brought up the price, not me. I told you what I think is worse. Let me 'splain from my experience...I paid about twice MSRP for my first shark and WAS dissapointed when I smoked it. I thought it looked cool, but tasted average. Just MHO.


Do what you will with your money, that's none of my business. But don't ask a question and then get ticked when someone answers it.

 

[Ginseng]

Gentlemen,

Think Holiday Spirit.

Wilkey

 

[BobbyRitz]

Lighten up Francis.


You asked what's worse, and you brought up the price, not me. I told you what I think is worse. Let me 'splain from my experience...I paid about twice MSRP for my first shark and WAS dissapointed when I smoked it. I thought it looked cool, but tasted average. Just MHO.


Do what you will with your money, that's none of my business. But don't ask a question and then get ticked when someone answers it.

I'm not ticked...quite the opposite. But when I read this in Wade's thread I start to think about your intentions:

I can't understand the desire to buy stuff like this.


My personal view is that many who buy them only do so to come to places like this and post that they bought them.


That being said, If you were looking for them, good for you. They certaily have struck a market niche with releases like this. I am glad you got in on them...whatever the reason.


I've seen them around but I just shake my head and walk away smoking something that cost 4 bucks and probably tastes just as good.

We should carry on. Sorry to have ruffled any feathers.

And my name is Rob, not Francis.

 

[Gonz]

Don't tell me you've never seen Full Metal Jacket!